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In-Box Review
172
Henschel Hs 132

by: Peter Allen [ FLITZER ]

BACKGROUND
It was for a small jet powered aircraft featuring a prone pilot position and the power plant mounted atop of the fuselage in similar fashion to the He 162. The mid mounted wings were short and stubby and the tail had positive dihedral with twin fins and rudders. The various versions contemplated were:

Hs 132 A - Unarmed dive-bomber with BMW 003 powerplant (500 kg bombs)
Hs 132 B - Armed dive-bomber with Jumo 004 powerplant (500 kg bombs plus two 20mm MG 151/120’s in the nose)
Hs 132 C - Armed close-support with Heinkel He S011 powerplant (two 20mm MG 151/120’s and two 30mm MK 108’s in the nose)

After testing a wind-tunnel model, the construction of the first prototype was undertaken and was almost complete when it was captured by Russian forces in May 1945.

THE KIT
Huma models generally produce high quality, limited run injection kits of unusual and concept aircraft that are a match for most of this type.

Type: Injection.

Parts:1 Sprue of 33 parts including pilot.

Quite a simple, but high quality kit with excellent moulding with virtually no flash, hence minimal clean up.
Main parts are clearly but delicately detailed. All parts go together well with accurate alignment.
Cockpit is very sparsly detailled and would greatly benefit from some attention in this area. Hitting the reference for this prone pilot job is a must.

CLEAR PARTS
One very good injection canopy is provided. Nice and clear and quite thin.

DECALS
Basic set of decals for one aircraft provided including swastikas. Good quality but rather plain.

INSTRUCTIONS
Neat and clearly illustrated assembly steps with sprue ident and colour camo scheme. But as this is a Luft 46 model one may allow imagination to be implimented. Scheme in instructions different to that depicted on box top illustration.

VALUE
This is quite an expensive kit, but is of high quality and limited run. For this money however, one might expect to have a much better detailed cockpit provided as either injection or as an extra resin set and a more extensive set of decals.

CONCLUSIONS
Although relatively expensive it will make a very nice model of this more well-known Luft 46l plane. A kit for experienced modellers and beginners alike.

SUMMARY
By1942 Germany had begun to experience many setbacks and the need for a fast and manoeuvrable ground attack aircraft became imperative. Existing designs had begun to show marked inadequacies in this role.Based on existing data from the Hs 123 and the Hs129 plus incorporating findings from test flights of the Berlin B-9 where it was realised that a prone pilot is less effected by high G-forces associated with dive-bombing and ground attack tasks, Henschel put forward the Hs 132 design.
  PARTS QUALITY:80%
  DECALS:60%
  CANOPY:70%
Percentage Rating
70%
  Scale: 1:72
  Mfg. ID: 2508
  Suggested Retail: GBP 8.99
  PUBLISHED: Mar 28, 2004
  NATIONALITY: Germany
NETWORK-WIDE AVERAGE RATINGS
  THIS REVIEWER: 72.42%
  MAKER/PUBLISHER: 70.00%

About Peter Allen (flitzer)
FROM: ENGLAND - NORTH WEST, UNITED KINGDOM

Greetings to all. My real name is Peter Allen and I have recently returned to UK from working in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, as a creative director in an advertising agency. My home town is Wigan in the north of England. I’m married to Emily, a Polish lass who tolerates my modelling well. I’ve wor...

Copyright ©2021 text by Peter Allen [ FLITZER ]. Images also by copyright holder unless otherwise noted. Opinions expressed are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of AeroScale. All rights reserved.


   
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